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Dana Bruce Mower: 1956 — 2012 | Passages

Dana died doing what he loved the most, skiing a black diamond mogul run after a fresh snow fall of 36 inches on a gloriously sunny day in Sun Valley, Idaho.

One of his last phone calls, of course from the ski hill, was “It’s just perfect, just perfect.” Dana had an enlarged heart which led to a heart attack on the Christmas Lift Chair on Mount Baldy. He was skiing alone, knowing how sweet it was to catch the last run of the day. The quiet. The joy. The connection he felt to the God that Dana knew.

Dana grew up in Tacoma, Wash., on Wapato Lake, with four siblings and parents who raised him to believe in himself and encouraged his independent spirit, which later led to Dana’s successful career as a real estate entrepreneur. Dana graduated with a degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington, and in 1995 started DBM Consulting Engineers.

Dana’s visionary sight and focus brought him remarkable success with real estate investment. From 1999 to 2003 Dana developed Landis Point and Hazel Gardens apartment projects, as well as the 2003 Street of Dreams.

From 2004 to 2007 Dana parlayed his previous successes into Riversand, a 40-acre residential development project in Auburn, Wash. This project exemplifies one of Dana’s strongest attributes, which was to convert a property with entitlement difficulties into a developable piece of land.

In 2005, Dana refitted his dream boat, The Christina, a 120-foot yacht; he was looking forward to exploring the blue-sky waters of the Caribbean. In 2007, Dana realized his dreams in purchasing Lynyard Cay, a 77-acre island in the Bahamas, where he planned a multi-use luxury community.

Dana loved hiking the Sawtooth Mountains in North Central Idaho and walking the downed, yellowed maple leaves in October. He loved crabbing off of Sunset Point and piloting his boat through all weather in the San Juan Islands.

Dana loved golf, skiing, and most especially the miracle of flight — to look upon the world from his cockpit 3,000 feet up, and to watch the earth fall away and the heavens open. Dana lived with passion and dignity and invention. His soul ran deep. Dana left this world with no fear.

Dana leaves behind his mother, Lois Mower, and his siblings, Larry Mower, Greg Mower, Linda Turner, and Scott Mower. And Dana leaves behind Christine Leiren Mower, the love of his life for 37 years.

A memorial will be held at Neighborhood Church, 2802 Bridgeport Way W, University Place, WA 98466, on Dec. 11, at 1 p.m.

Please send any donations to the American Heart Association in memory of Dana Bruce Mower.

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